Let’s face, the reason many dog owners don’t want to neuter their pets is because they project their own feelings on the animal. This makes them believe that neutering is extremely cruel and inhumane. Other people don’t want to have their male dogs neutered because they have heard one or more of the many myths and misconceptions about the procedure and what it does to the animal.

As much as I love my dogs I have to realize that there are some differences between them and humans. The way they look at sex is one of those differences. Dogs obviously do have a drive to have sex – but it is driven by instinct. Intimacy and romance are not a part of the package for them.

This means that although a dog may be very loving toward his partner, they do not have the same type of relationship that humans do. If they are not having sex they are not feeling depressed or lonely because of it.

Many people have heard that neutering a dog will make him weaker or less ferocious. The fact is that neutering does not affect a dog’s physical abilities or strength.  In fact, neutering removes the sexual instinct that has some dogs attempting to track and chase females that are in heat.

Neutering can often help to correct many behavioral problems caused by the sex instinct in some dogs, especially in households with one or more pets and in a household with female dogs as well as people.

Neutered dogs can and do protect their territory. This means that if before neutering they were used as a guard dog to some degree, even after the procedure they will continue to guard and protect you and your property. These dogs are just as strong and masculine as ever.

Neutering is a responsible and loving thing for a pet owner to have done:  Many people use the argument that neutering an animal is unnatural. But in reality having pets is not a natural thing. After all, dogs were not always domesticated animals.

Their natural instinct is to live with a pack of dogs. But we have taken these animals in as members of our families. That makes it our responsibility to do what is best for them – to keep them safe and healthy.

Dogs that have not been neutered sometimes dangerously track and chase females in heat. Countless dogs get lost or hit by cars during such chases.  A neutered dog will not chase female dogs for the purpose of sex.  While we’re on the subject, it is important to keep in mind that when a male dog tracks and finds a female in heat the outcome is often a litter of unwanted puppies.

Neutering a dog does not cause him to gain weight or to be less active. However, in some cases dogs do gain weight after the surgery, but this is not related to the surgery itself. Instead, it is often due to the owner’s misconceptions and expectations that his dog will be slowing down.

This means the owner may unintelligently contribute to the dog’s weight gain by decreasing the amount of exercise the gets. Maintaining the proper feeding schedule with an appropriate amount of food and continuing with a healthy exercise routine is a must for maintaining the dog’s weight.

Another big advantage to having a dog neutered is that it eliminates certain health risks. With all these advantages it is easy to see that neutering is a wise choice for a responsible pet owner.